The subject matter herein relates generally to wire transfer systems that have wire singulating devices for singulating wires from wire bundles.
Many electrical systems utilize electrical leads to electrically connect electrical components or devices. Electrical leads are typically produced by cutting a segment of wire, stripping one or both ends of the wire, and then crimping a terminal to one or both ends of the wire segment. Known lead-making operations have different levels of automation depending on cost and complexity of the machinery. For example, in a semi-automatic bench machine, a human operator presents wires one at a time to a terminator that crimps a terminal on the end of the wire. In another example, some lead-maker machines are fully automated such that wire is automatically pulled from large spools of wire, cut to length, and presented to a specific terminator to crimp the wire to a pre-selected terminal. Thus, the automatic lead-makers may control the wire throughout the operation from the supply spool to the production of the lead, culminating in delivery to a storage container.
Both types of machinery have recognized shortcomings. With the semi-automatic bench machine, for example, the operator has to pull each individual wire from a bundle of wires that may include hundreds of wires and present each wire to the terminator. The bench machine thus requires significant human intervention to separate or singulate wires from the wire bundle, which limits the efficiency and productivity of the lead-making operation and also requires the expense for operator's labor costs. The fully-automated lead-maker machines do not require the level of human intervention as the bench machines, but the lead-maker machines are typically much more complex and expensive than bench machines, so the cost may be prohibitive. In addition, it may be difficult and time-consuming to change wire sizes in the automatic lead-maker machines, as such changeover may require substitution of the large supply spool and other modifications to the system throughout the production line. A need remains for a wire singulating device that is more automated than known semi-automatic bench machines and is not as complex or expensive as fully-automated lead-maker machines.